Aunty, I am in Kolkata, I call Rita Aunty to inform.
A moment of silence.
And then the familiar voice – I thought my daughter had forgotten this old soul.
And before I can revert, Aunty continues, So when are you coming home for lunch ? And no excuses this time please.
When I hang the phone, a hearty conversation, loads of giggles and a good three quarters of an hour later, I had agreed to doing lunch with Aunty at her residence.
A week or so later, I find myself at Rita Aunty’s door.
A box of Flurys pastries. (Aunty’s guilty pleasure !!)
A bunch of fragrant Rajnigandha. (S had reminded me a dozen times over !!)
And an Abir Mukherjee thriller that I had picked up that morning from Oxford. (Aunty adored her books and thrillers in particular)
I ring the bell. An eggshell blue contraption from another era. Set on a stark white wall.
The door opens.
The familiar million dollar smile.
The warm hug.
The enticing aroma of incense. Intermingling with Aunty’s delicate cologne.
The white lace curtains. Drawn to just let that pencil of sun work fitful patterns on the floor.
The melancholy strains of Jazz playing on the ancient gramophone player.
Come, come, have a seat, Aunty leads me to her wood and cane sofa. And what do you want ? Chai (I have a lovely Darjeeling a friend brought over last week) or coffee ?
The adda continues, unabated, over countless cups of Darjeeling.
Accompanied by coconut cookies from the local baker.
And slices of delicious plum cake from Nahoums.
Let me put the bird in the oven, Aunty suggests when the clock in the hall announces midday.
And for lunch, the piece de resistance is Aunty’s stuffed chicken roast.
Lip smacking delicious. The chicken luscious and moist. The glaze droolworthy.
The stuffed sausages packed with umami. With that subtle hint of orange.
The roast potatoes, unctuous and inviting, crisp on the outside, melt-in-the-mouth on the inside.
The spinach and peas, creamy and delectable, that touch of nutmeg makes it magical.
And this is my version of Rita Aunty’s stuffed chicken roast.
Luscious chicken. Stuffed with an assortment of mixed sausages. Baked to perfection. Guaranteed to put smiles on the faces of your loved ones !!!
And if you are as ardent a lover of the bird as I am, do give my Christmas Chicken Roast and my Chinatown Chicken Roast a try as well. It’s that time of the year when gluttony doesn’t qualify as sin 🙂 Enjoy !!!
Rita Aunty's Stuffed Chicken Roast
Ingredients
Rita auntys chicken roast
- 1 1.1kg whole chicken washed and pat dried
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
For marination
- 100 g hung yogurt
- 1.5 tbsp onion paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp green chili paste
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp ghee
For stuffing
- 150 g mixed sausages
- 50 g cherry tomatoes, washed pat dried and halved
- 1 big onion finely chopped
- 3-4 green chillies finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
- 1 orange halved
For brushing
- 1 tbsp ghee
Instructions
For marination
- Transfer the hung curd to a mixing bowl. Add the onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili paste. Sprinkle in the chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Drizzle in the ghee. Mix well. Keep aside.
For the stuffing
- Slice the sausages into thin roundels.
- Heat oil in a pan, throw in the chopped onion and chillies, fry over medium heat till the onion changes colour.
- Add the sausage slices and cherry tomatoes, continue to stir fry till the sausages are lightly browned. Say 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in 1 tbsp of the marinade above, give it all a hearty mix.
- Stir fry for another minute or so. Keep aside.
For the chicken
- Salt the chicken generously, outside as well as the cavity. Keep aside, 30min or so.
- Take 1 tbsp of the marinade, massage the cavity well with the marinade.
- Now gently stuff the cavity with the sausage mix till about three-fourths full.
- Seal the cavity with one half of the orange, tie the legs of the bird with kitchen twine.
- Now massage the chicken well with the remaining marinade. Keep aside for 30 minutes or so.
- Preheat oven at 190C.
- Place the chicken in a roasting tray , cover it with foil, bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil, brush the bird with a little ghee, bake for another 20 minutes.
- Increase the temperature to 210C.
- Brush the bird again with a little ghee, cook on grill mode for another 15 -20 minutes, till the glaze on the bird is a gorgeous golden.
- Check if the bird is cooked perfectly or not with skewers. If not, cook for a further 5 mins or so.
- Once cooked, allow the bird to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Carefully cut the kitchen twine, gently take out the stuffing.
- Carve the chicken, serve along with the stuffing.
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